Congenital
ichthyosis comprises a rare group of usually monogenetic diseases that present at birth as a
collodion phenotype or as variable degrees of ichtHyosiform
erythroderma, with or without superficial
blisters. Depending on which gene mutation causes the disease, the skin problems later in life may range from a severe lamellar or bullous
ichthyosis to mild or only focally expressed hyperkeratotic lesions. It is obviously important, but sometimes painstakingly difficult, to make a correct diagnosis already in infancy. Fortunately, recent advances in our understanding of the molecular genetics of
ichthyosis have led to several new diagnostic tools that are continuously being updated. Based on this development, and on our own 5 years of experience in a national genodermatosis centre, we describe 127 cases of congenital
ichthyosis examined in childhood or adulthood. Applying a combination of phenotypic and genotypic criteria, the patients were classified into three main groups: 1) Bullous
ichthyosis (
epidermolytic hyperkeratosis) and related disorders due to
keratin mutations (n = 21); 2) Non-
bullous ichthyosiform erythroderma and
lamellar ichthyosis mainly due to
transglutaminase 1 mutations (n = 80); 3) Syndromic
ichthyosis, i.e. systemic (multi-organ) diseases due to many different causes (n = 26). Each group could be further stratified into 4-11 entities using mutation analysis, electron microscopy of epidermis and various other techniques. Our findings are discussed in relation to recent data in the literature emphasizing the clinical usefulness of various diagnostic procedures for
ichthyosis.